Oral care implements, especially toothbrushes, are used by many people on a daily basis. Typical oral care implements comprise an elongate handle and a head connected to one end of the handle. The handle provides a structure by which a user grips and manipulates the oral care implement during use. The head typically comprises one or more elements designed to perform their intended function, such as tooth cleaning elements, soft tissue cleaning elements, and/or oral care agents.
Toothbrushes are oral care implements having one or more tooth cleaning elements, which are used to clean teeth by removing plaque and debris from surfaces of the teeth. Conventional toothbrushes are limited in their ability to retain dentifrice for cleaning teeth. During an oral care session, the dentifrice typically slips through the tooth cleaning elements, such as tufts of bristles, and away from the contact zone of the cleaning elements with the teeth. As a result, the dentifrice often is spread around the mouth, rather than being concentrated on the contact zone. Therefore, the efficiency of the cleaning process is reduced.
Over the years, efforts have been made to improve the design of oral care implements, in order that they may deliver improved cleaning of users' oral cavities during oral care sessions. Such efforts have included the development of heads carrying structures intended to better retain dentifrice for use in cleaning and/or polishing teeth.
Despite these efforts, a need still exists for an oral care implement with a head having a structure for better retaining dentifrice, to enable improved cleaning and/or polishing of a user's teeth. A need also exists for an oral care implement that is easier to clean after an oral care session.